Aedrian Joshua O.

De Castro September 03, 2020

1CMT Theology 1
Contemporary Trends
A. What is/are the ethical (contemporary) trend/s that you usually do in your day to day
decision making? Explain why.

The contemporary trends that have an undeniable influence over my day to day
decision making are relativism and secularism. Adopting relativism and secularism drives
me to acknowledge the different realities of different point of views and to embrace a
person’s inherent worth, even without any imbued value from a supernatural power. For
instance, the daily act of commuting has given me an opportunity to reflect on the
everyday living moments I have taken for granted. The money I spend on fare has three
roles in realizing my existential being. First, it is the sole fruition of my parents’ hard
work. Second, the twenty-six-peso fare from home to school is a big part of my
education. Third, it would be an instrument to help the driver with his profession since
these people behind the steering wheels also have families to support. This just shows
how relativism and secularism can compel me to make decisions through empathy
without expectations of rewards or fear of eternal punishment.

B. What are the advantages and disadvantages that you encounter by applying this ethical
trend/s in your everyday decision? Explain why.

Relativism provides more flexibility in acknowledging that different situations

may require different moral standards. For instance, theft is generally considered to be
wrong; but if a person’s family were starving, and they had no money, I’d argue that it
would be imperative for them to find a way to get food, even if it meant theft. Secular
humanism, on the other hand, does not necessarily deny belief in god(s), it just suggests
that morality can be developed without reference to religious doctrines. With that being
said, applying relativism and secularism simultaneously may lead to uncertainty, and may
require much more personal reflection and personal responsibility. One must determine
for themselves what is or is not moral; and must take full responsibility for the results of
their actions. However, while it may be a weakness, I would also consider that its
strength. By applying the said concepts, I can’t just pass off my actions as being God’s
responsibility, because “I was just doing what God told me to do.” Throughout history,
many atrocities have been committed by people who sincerely believed they were “doing
what God wanted them to do.” Secularism and relativism deny that idea because we are
held to a far higher and more difficult moral standard, where we bear full responsibility
for our actions, and cannot blame it on someone else.
C. What is the significance of this lesson to you?

The significance of this lesson lies in how it helped me realize the insignificance
of dichotomy. Black and white, heaven and hell, right and wrong, ally and enemy, good
and evil. Dichotomy is a pairing of extremes with no middle ground—nothing in
between, no range of variance. Some people might say that making choices limited to one
or the other simplifies things, but that isn’t exactly true. Everything has a grey area and it
is where we operate. He could be stealing to get some food. She could be engaging in
prostitution to support her family. They could be religious but still hurt others. Nothing is
ever black and white. No matter what contemporary trend we believe in, we are still
human. We can and we will make mistakes, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are
still able to empathize and help each other.